Rest in Peace, Keith Parkinson...

Keith Parkinson is admittedly one of the best cover artists I have known in my choice of books, having graced me with vivid images of the heroes of my two favorite fantasy authors: David Eddings and Terry Brooks.

Keith passed away last October 26th, due to Lukemia.

Here are a few words from one of Keith's fellow artists and friend, Larry Elmore:

IN MEMORY OF
KEITH PARKINSON
OCT. 22 1958 – OCT 26 2005

Keith had been battling Leukemia for the past 16 months. Because he had such a spirit for life, and love of his family, he fought it every step of the way. He never gave up, his will to live and fight was so strong that I really believed he would win the battle, and at times it look liked he had. His lovely wife Donna kept his friends and fellow artists aware of his ups and downs with a constant flow of emails. She is a wonderful lady. I knew Keith for over twenty years. I met him when he was only 22 years old. Eventually I became to feel as if he was my younger brother. We were brothers at heart. We worked together at TSR and later shared a studio as freelance illustrators. As we persued our careers, we moved to separate parts of the country but, through the years, we kept in touch and would see each other several times each year at conventions. We would have dinner and talk for hours, we grew even closer as we got older. I always looked forward to our dinners, and conversation. I watched his two sons grow into fine young men. He was a good, honest, man and a great artist. All my memories of Keith are good. His death will be a great loss to all his family, friends, and the art world. He leaves a void in our lives and in the world.

Larry Elmore

It's sad to think that such a masterful painter with a beautiful eye for detail is gone, but at least his work endures. If you guys are interested in seeing more of his work, do drop by his website at www.keithparkinson.com